but that might change in two weeks. red and gold earned the right to battle in new orleans. they're going for their sixth super bowl championship. the 49ers had to fight hard to get to the big game. up by 17 points in the first half. the niners got the lead with the nine-yard touchdown run. falcons fought back. they go for it. the pass to white was incomplete. the niners win 28-24. they're headed to new orleans. >> it's a great team win. our team played great, our offensive line played great. and our receivers made plays. the defense played really well in the second half. a grit team win. >> it's really a thrill. we are hard workers. we put the work in. we've come from so far. we've come from the bottom year after year. and to be in this spot to overcome adversity, it just

means a lot. shows what kind of team it is. we're excited about it. >> it does validate our team, winning this game. we said at the start of this, there's three super bowls to win. we've won two far and we have another in two weeks. we're just getting warmed up with our 49ers coverage. coming up in sports, the 49ers reporter is live from atlanta. mindy interviewed several of the players and the coach. we'll hear from them again once again shortly coming up in sports. >> thanks a lot, henry. fans throughout the bay area are celebrating the niners' victory in the south bay. hundreds of people packed into the casino matrix to watch the game and celebrate as the clock ticked down. monty francis is in san francisco with reactions from fans there, of course. hello, monte. >> reporter: good evening. we're along the embarcadero.

we were inside the cavern when the niners won this game. the place went absolutely wild. take a look. several hundred people packed pete's tavern just across from at&t park to watch this championship game. similar scenes played out at restaurants and bars across the city. this game came down to the wire. fans were very relieved that the falcons were not able to score in that last minute of the fourth quarter. for san francisco sports fans, this has been an incredible last few months with the giants winning the world series back in october and now the 49ers are on their way to the super bowl. >> we knew they were going to do it! >> coming all the way back! >> i never doubted it. my team is good on the road. i knew we'd do it.

no problems. our defense is tight. our offense is tight. we did it. we pulled it off. go niners! >> i'm so glad the niners won. i'm ready to party all night. >> reporter: and i think a lot of people will be celebrating in the city tonight. san francisco police are out in force. we don't have official numbers, but we've observed a good number of officers patrolling here near the waterfront. you notice there was a lot of celebrating when the giants won the world series and even violence and vandalism. so police are out trying to prevent any problems tonight. we understand there are crowds gathering in the mission district, but so far, no problems to report. live in san francisco, monte francis, nbc bay area news. it's beautiful out there as well. stay with nbc bay area, both online at nbcbayarea.com as well as on air for the next two weeks as we follow the 49ers all the way to super bowl xlvii in new orleans. there was another major sporting event going on today for bay area fans.

nearly two dozen of the world's best surfers battled it out for the mavericks title and a chance at winning the big wave world tour. nbc bay area's kimberly tere is at pillar point with more on what's happening there. hello, kimberly. >> reporter: hello, diane. that contest wrapped up about 3:30. we've been waiting for the results. we finally found out the winner. this year, peter mel from sent cruz. his first maverick title, that has eluded him until now. the mavericks international surf competition relied, as you can imagine, very heavily on mother nature cooperating. so this is the first time in three years that this competition went forward. fans came out, excited to be here at 8:30 this morning, a half hour after it got under way. people watched the action from a jumbotron. in years past spectators were able to watch it from the beach

or bluffs. but the worlds changed after a rogue wave caused injuries in 2010 when it crashed into a crowd. >> we were born and raised here and wanted to check it out. we've never been. we were disappointed we couldn't make it out to pillar point, but we're having a great time. >> watching it here on the jumbotron. not exactly the same, but hey, it's here, maverick, what you need -- that's how you need to see it. make the best out of it and enjoy it for what it is. >> reporter: waves were not 30 feet as expected, but we are hearing there were some that reached 25 feet. still incredibly challenging even for the best surfers. this is the first year mavericks is on the world tour. again, we just learned peter mels the winner. he is a santa cruz native. kim bberly tere.

>> i was out in san francisco today, and it looks absolutely gorgeous there, too. >> reporter: it is beautiful out here. it was sunny. very little wind. near perfect conditions for surfing. >> very fun. thank you, kimberly. in washington, the crowds are gathering for tomorrow's inauguration. but tonight, president barack obama's second term is already officially under way. steve handelsman is at the white house with the latest for us. >> reporter: good evening. here at the white house today, president obama smiled and said, i did it, as he ended his first term and officially began his second. just before noon in the blue room, president obama was sworn in for term number two by supreme court chief justice john roberts. >> i, barack hussein obama, do solemnly swear, to preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the united states so help me god.

>> congratulations, mr. president. >> thank you, mr. chief justice. >> a hug from michelle. malia, 14, and sasha, 11, who joked, you didn't mess up. neither did the chief justice who used notes after his famous flub in 2009. >> thank you, everybody. >> vice president biden was sworn in by justice sonia sotomayor. >> repeat after me. >> reporter: tomorrow's ceremonial swearing in is at the capitol. stand-ins, helping set camera angles today. pennsylvania avenue is set for the inaugural parade, delayed like the capitol ceremony, because they're never held on a sunday. police from around the nation will bolster security, grass protectors are down on the mall. the weather's mild. 800,000 people expected tomorrow. some saw the president today when the obamas attended church. >> he started leaning over to us and we were so excited to see him. >> reporter: the commander in chief laid a wreath at the tomb

of the unknowns, a reminder of his burden and of our two centuries of democracy. the inauguration is not just an obama party. >> whether you agree with the president or not -- to be a part of it. >> reporter: the celebration of america is on. still, from a comfort standpoint, tv might be the best way to enjoy the rest of this inaugural. tomorrow will dawn here freezing cold. live at the white house, steve handelsman, nbc bay area news. >> it wouldn't be right if it wasn't freezing cold. we will have extensive coverage of tomorrow's inaugural event, both on air and online. go to nbcbayarea.com for live streaming video as well as photo galleries. and our political analyst larry gerston will be at the inauguration and tweeting updates as well. next at 5:00, a big day for bay area sports continues, as

the sharks play in their season opener. the latest on that. and man tai will go on to talk about the online hoax he said he fell victim to. we'll let you know who we'll be talking to and when. despite our chilly start this morning, a gorgeous finish to the weekend. look at these temperatures. santa cruz 76 degrees. 64 in san jose. the satellite view showing changes ahead.

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we have new information from nigeria where a standoff ended in a bloody day. the hostages were being held at a plant. soldiers are still searching the area for more bodies and possible bombs. leaders of the countries involved are scrambling to determine how many of their citizens were killed, freed or are now missing. >> we need to work with others to defeat the terrorists and close down the ungoverned space where they thrive. >> in all, about 700 algerians and 100 foreigners were freed. two men from san francisco died in hawaii in rough surf. crews say 46-year-old adam

griffith went climbing on a rocky coastal area when a wave pulled one of the men out to sea. the other reportedly jumped in to save him and they both drowned. crews recovered griffith's body this morning, they're still searching for baker's body. san leandro police are searching for as many as seven people after a deadly shooting at the b.a.r.t. station. two groups of people started shooting at each other in the bus stop area yesterday afternoon. the man in his 40s who was killed, we're told, was an innocent bystander caught in the cross fire. a woman was also grazed by a bullet and taken to the hospital. investigators said they found evidence of nearby homes, but would not elaborate on what they found. so far, only one arrest has been made, a 16-year-old boy detained shortly after the shooting. still to come at 5:00, they are on their way to the super bowl. we'll take you out to atlanta with more reaction from the 49ers locker room.

he claims he was a victim of an elaborate hoax and now manti te'o will go on camera for the first time since the bizarre story broke on wednesday about a girlfriend who never existed. his parents are planning the interview on a syndicated talk show on thursday. he insisted he was a victim of a hoax and not a participant.

he said he had an online relationship with a woman he never met and in september was told that she had died from leukemia. he told espn that the person suspected of being the mastermind of that hoax has contacted him and apologized. we are going to check in rob mayeda, because today had to be one of the most beautiful january days in the bay area. >> yes. tough to top 76 degrees in santa cruz today. gorgeous out on the coast. right now, not too bad. low 60s outside. a clear, dry air in place. temperatures will be dropping off quickly. offshore winds backing off a little bit. still noticing some of that napa in fairfield right now. pillar point, still seeing swells offshore, close to 9 feet earlier this morning. we did have 15 to 20-foot waves

earlier. the high surf advisory has been allowed to expire. short term, not much change. patchy frost inland. wednesday, high pressure's going to weaken enough to allow a slight chance of showers to drop in on us midweek. best chance of rain next weekend. satellite view quite dry. high pressure acting like a shield over the west coast. storms try to approach the west coast and move off to the north and scoot down to the east of the rockies. this is going to change around wednesday. the high's going to flat p out and move a little bit to the east. that will open the door right around midday wednesday. with the dry air in place, not expecting a lot out of this. by next weekend, a wetter system will approach the coast. very likely next saturday and sunday, not as sunny or nice as we enjoyed this weekend. future cast for tomorrow, showing the cloud cover. it doesn't get more lonely than this in terms of clouds or rain. chilly start to the morning.

20s to 30s to get the day started in the inland valleys. high temperatures mid-60s, san jose. low to mid-60s around the tri valley. back toward san francisco, 63 degrees. 64 in santa rosa. monday and tuesday, likely the warmest days. staying dry, with a slight chance of showers on wednesday. thursday into friday, clearing skies. maybe a slight warm-up. and then stay tuned. next weekend, been a while, it looks like we'll see a chance, better chance of seeing rain arriving with cooler temperatures next weekend. >> we need a little rain. >> we do. >> thank you, rob. right now we want to go to hen henry wofford. niners? >> we can't get enough of the 49ers right now. they have a young quarterback and second year head coach. the red and gold took care of business in the dirty south.

it wasn't easy. but it was definitely worth it. we've got your highlights, interviews and a live report from atlanta. who does it better than us? nobody! we'll be right back.

welcome back to nbc bay area. san francisco fans are loving life right now. the giants won the world series in two of the last three years, and the niners are a victory away from winning their sixth super bowl. let's head out to the georgia dome where colin kaepernick was looking to lead the niners. matt ryan stole the show early. second quarter, falcons up 10-0. ryan to julio jones.

the toe-tapper there. 17-0 falcons. the 49ers never quit. fourth quarter, 24-21, frank gore takes it in for his second do you ha touchdown of the game. not this time for the dirty birds. all about the 49ers. they win 28-24 to advance to the super bowl. now, it was a true team effort by the 49ers. the players' individual stats will not blow you away but it was enough to get to victory. frank gore scored twice. colin kaepernick had 233 yards and a touchdown. mindy caught all the action at the georgia dome. she joins us with the latest on the super bowl-bound niners. what's going on out there, mindy? >> reporter: oh, well, henry, i tell you, the 49ers had a successful season. but this win was unlike any other they'd had this year. they had to overcome a 17-point deficit, their largest by far

this season. they had to beat a falcons team who hasn't lost a game with at least a 17-point lead since 2003. and not only that, the 49ers become only the second road team in nfl history to win a conference title game indoors at the georgia dome and advance to the super bowl. >> feels pretty darn good. feels pretty darn good. again, thank you to our players and coaches for making this happen. >> it's a great team win. our team played great. our offensive line played great. our receivers made plays. our defense battled back the second half, they played really well. >> we've got one more game to cap it all off. we're going to do that. >> i've been dreaming of this since i was a little kid. just happy. we can go back to san francisco with a w and go to the super bowl.

>> down 17-0, my son was with me. picked him up. held him. for our first touchdown. i knew we were going to win. >> reporter: eddie picked this team to super bowls. this is a team six appearances in the super bowl. the 49ers certainly hope this is the start of another super bowl dynasty for san francisco. >> thank you, mindy. great reporting out there. let's move over to the ice. sharks opening their season in calgary. second period, sharks down 1-0. thornton puts the puck in front for patrick marlow. he finds the back of the net. game tied at 1. first of two goals so far. mark's classic with the shot. marty knocks it in op the rebound. sharks took a 2-1 lead.

right now it's 3-1 in the third period. by the way, the afc championship between the baltimore ravens and new england patriots is going on right now. the patriots are up 13-7. much more remaining in that game. we'll be talking to you in about an hour, diane, with the latest on those san francisco 49ers. >> you want to predict the winner of the other game, just for fun, henry? >> i think they're -- i'm thinking harbaugh bowl. i think the ravens will come back and win that game. >> that would be awfully fun, especially with all the palo alto connections. thank you, henry.

ryan throws underneath for jones. he makes the catch. it's knocked down! the game is over! the 49ers are going to the super bowl! >> yeah, you know, you just

can't get enough of that, can you. the 49ers are heading to new orleans, and super bowl xlvii. they did it by beating the falcons in atlanta. it was stressful game, 28-24 the final. the super bowl is scheduled for february 3rd. within seven minutes of them winning, hats were delivered to the conference champions. there you go. very nice. if you're interested, they're all over the place already. >> plenty for tomorrow. >> all over the stores. we've got a reporter at one of the stores getting coverage of the folks picking up the champion -- nfc champions. >> sporting stores happy to see this, i'm sure. >> we tried these on briefly, but we want the super bowl championship. >> i'm with you. thanks for watching nbc bay areas news at 5:00. sundayightly news" is next. the second term as the president is

officially sworn in. >> i, barack hussein obama, do solemnly swear -- >> more than half a million people converge on the capitol for tomorrow's ceremonial inauguration. tonight, as washington dresses up for a date with history, we look at the realities and challenges of a second obama term. and will michelle obama remake her own agenda as first lady? perspective from an insider who knows the obamas well. plus, two uniquely american stories. our interview with this year's inaugural poet and the band from little rock, marching tomorrow in the footsteps of history. good evening. for all the drama of a long, hard-fought campaign, it took all of a half a minute for president obama today to take the oath that officially starts his second term in office.